West Brom, Everton, Newcastle United and now Manchester City are all attempting to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho.
Tony Pulis’s West Brom are thinking big this summer
As Tottenham Hotspur fans will tell you, it’s not easy trying to keep the pace while working under the confines of a wage cap. And it appears that West Brom have come to the same conclusion.
The Baggies have long been viewed as one of the most stable clubs in the Premier League, sticking within their means and operating sensibly from top to bottom. However, according to the Birmingham Mail, this summer could herald a new era at The Hawthorns.
The report claims that West Brom will offer centre-back Jonny Evans a new £100,000-a-week contract after rejecting a £10 million bid from Leicester City.
The club is determined not to lose any more of their key players after Darren Fletcher left for Stoke City and it appears that they are willing to break their wage limit to keep the Northern Irish defender in the Midlands.
The Birmingham Mail also add that this will act as a statement of intent to potential new signings. The ability, and willingness, to offer higher wages means they may have a better chance of luring ambitious targets to The Hawthorns after missing out on a number of big names last season.
Portugal’s William Carvalho
And William Carvalho certainly falls into this bracket. The Sun claimed that Sporting Lisbon will let the metronomic midfielder leave this summer provided they receive an offer of £25 million – and The Baggies have been heavily tipped to break their transfer record to sign him.
Secret weapon?
Newcastle United and Everton have also been linked, and could surely offer Carvalho a bigger pay packet. Yet, according to Corrieo da Manha, the most daunting competition will come from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
The report claims that the Etihad giants are now the favourites to sign the Euro 2016 winning Portuguese international.
However, with West Brom willing to pay their players more than ever before, they will be hoping to last the pace in this exhaustive transfer saga.
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